A/N Although this is in no way a sequel to Painful Echoes, I did include Danny' ghost lair from that story. Just a note to you who didn't read that story-it's chapter fifteen, near the start if you want to see what it looks like, I'm not doing another complete description.


Dib had his face pressed against the window. "Tell me what you know. I want to know EVERYTHING." He announced to Danny. His fingers were tracing abstract shapes in the fog his breath made.

"Well, I'll tell about some of the places… the first ghost I saw-and actually talked to- in here was Walker, the warden of the prison. I've still got a thousand year sentence from him." He chuckled. Dib peeled himself away from the window to look back at Danny.

"What did you do?" Danny shrugged.

"I was just there-and I was holding a camera, which was 'against the rules'." He mimed Walker's no-nonsense tone. "Walker's probably one of the most dangerous ghosts in here-for humans anyway." He spent a good fifteen minutes telling Danny about the ghosts that he'd encountered as a human-Box Ghost, Dora, (He'd played up what he'd done with the Fenton Fisher) and Poindexter (Obviously changing all of the stories around so he used weapons rather than his ghostly form.) Dib thought it was kind of funny his locker was so close to seven twenty four. Dib asked a lot of questions, most innocent enough that Danny answered honestly.

"What's with all the doors?"

"They all lead to a ghost's lair-or home, whatever you want to call it."

"Cool… so it's just ghosts who have one?" Danny nodded.

"As far as I know." He thought of his own 'lair', but of course didn't bring it up. "We're passing… I think this is Klemper's." He pointed at the refrigerator door, colorful magnets dotting the clean white surface. "He's a pain in the butt-every time I come in here, he always asks 'will you be my friend'?" Danny played up the childish accent, and Dib laughed.

"He sounds like Keef-he followed Zim and I around everywhere. We had to really go to extremes to get rid of him…" The pale boy shuddered. "Like hugging." Danny raised an eye.

"And how could huggin-"

"Hey, who's that green-skinned ghost?" Dib pointed out the window. He'd asked about random passing ghosts a few times, and Danny hadn't known any of them. "He seems to be coming in pretty fast…" Danny leaned over, at first not registering what he was seeing.

"Oh, that's just Tec-TECHNUS?" His eyes widened, and that tiny little warning signal that had been ringing at the back of his mind set off full volume. He usually couldn't sense ghosts in when in the ghost zone-otherwise, he'd freeze himself to death or something. He shoved the controls into the shocked Dib's hands and raced towards the back of the ship. Thank goodness we packed a few extra weapons… He grabbed an ecto-gun and a thermos before running back towards the cockpit.

"Who is that ghost? Is he evil or-"

"Yes-that Technus, ghost master of technology. If he gets too close to the ship…" He let the last words linger in the air, and Dib just nodded. His face seemed to have somehow turned even paler as Danny tossed him the gun. "If he gets within five feet, shoot, but I'll hold him off." He knew he couldn't risk transforming, but he might be able to distract him long enough for Dib to get a good shot and then Danny could suck him into the thermos… Danny hopped out of the ship, feeling the usual lightheadedness all humans in the ghost zone felt for a moment before shrugging it off. He landed on a floating chunk of ground. They were about a mile (He figured-distance was hard to tell here) from Skulker's island. Technus was still looking at the ship.

"Ah, this ship is lovely! And soon it shall be mine, for I, Technus-" Danny shouted up,

"DIB! NOW! SHOOT!" Technus looked down.

"Ghost child! Why are you-" He was suddenly hit by a blue light, and the ghost's eyes widened. He let out a short scream, before raising his hands and firing a blast of his own. Since Dib obviously didn't know how to work the controls, the ship's shields didn't flicker on and it hit the Specter Speeder full force. Danny's heart just about stopped when it hit the engine and the ship started spiraling down, past the tiny island and down into the abyss. He didn't even think, but dove after it, going ghost in mid-air. His glove caught the edge of the ship, and in an effort to make it lighter he turned the whole ship intangible. Straining, he pulled up with all of his might. Technus seemed to have fallen, but Danny didn't care. Dib could get hurt, and his parents would kill him if they came back and the speeder was gone. The halfa braced his feet on the island and pulled the ship up, thanking the heavens that it was much lighter in the ghost zone and that he'd had a lot of practice lifting heavy things. Finally, he managed to set it down. He wiped his forehead, but it took a moment to register.

"Oh, man-Dib!" He flew over and almost ripped open the door. The other teen was clutching the seat with a death grip, his fairly sharp nails poking a few holes into the fabric. His hazel eyes were frozen wide, and his mouth was open in a silent scream. "…Dib?" Danny repeated slowly, reaching over and gently tapping his shoulder. Dib whirled around, holding up his gun, his slightly narrowed eyes manic and his lips curled back, his teeth bared like an animal ready to attack. Danny immediately pulled back.

"I'm not going to hurt you…" Dib blinked a few times, before seeming to remember who Phantom actually was- a 'friendly ghost', so to speak. He shook his head, confused, before muttering something about a 'boot'. Or was it 'voot'? Either way, he'd advanced to staring at Danny, his brown eyes as wide as they could go again.

"…Danny?" He'd barely breathed it, but the mere word seemed to snap him out of his little trance. He scooted over in the seat, before hopping out of the ship. "Danny… Fenton?" Danny swallowed.

"No, it's Phantom." Dib shook his head slowly, in disbelief.

"Fenton… Phantom." Suddenly, he hit the side of his head with a fist, twisting his fingers into the weird lock thing that flew above his hair. "How didn't I SEE THAT?" He started pacing, seeming to forget that Danny was even there. "Yeah, you're a real genius! You could tell when there was a freaking alien in your classroom and that your teacher was a demon from day one, but as soon as you get one friend all that you've ever learned just goes right out the window! No wonder I worked so much better alone!" He was obviously ranting, especially considering the loud gestures his hands were making along with the words spilling out of his mouth like a waterfall, and Danny floated back, trying to think of what to say himself.

No one's ever figured it out before, but you knew they would one day… but did it have to be him? Danny shot a glance up at Dib, who had moved on to quietly swearing in an alien-sounding language that seemed to consist of clicks and smooth sounding syllables. The tone left no doubt of what he was saying, though. Danny sighed.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but it's not-"

"It is what I think!" Dib shot back, finally looking back at Danny. His eyes quickly scaled the hazmat-suited ghost up and down in a split second, before resting on his face. "Irk, how didn't I see it before?" Danny decided to ignore the first part ('irk' meant annoying, didn't it? …What the heck?) and just try to figure out how to explain it.

"Okay. You promised not to hunt me, right?" Dib blinked, clenching his fist that still had the Fenton ecto-gun.

"I said I'd consider it…" Danny swallowed.

"Look, I'll explain everything, okay? Just… don't shoot." Dib raised an eye.

"Fine… so, you're a ghost who hides among humans? The Fentons are just a cover, aren't they? Of course! No one would suspect a ghost to live among ghost hunters, you must've brainwashed them!" Dib grinned, holding the gun up to his waist level now and turning the barrel towards the ghost. Danny just stared at him, one of his toxic green eyes wide and the other narrowed in a 'you've got to be kidding me' sort of look.

"So, I, a ghost, would move in with the only family in town who could kill me on a pretty much daily basis." He rolled his eyes. "Do you want the real story or do you want to rope a few more conspiracy theories in?" Dib blinked, before grinning sheepishly and nodding, setting the gun down. Danny looked around- they'd probably want some privacy, and they really weren't too far… he closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt a warm tingle seep through his core, and unconsciously smiled. "Dib, get in the Speeder."

"What? But you said-"

"I'll explain in a minute, just get in the speeder." He opened his eyes again to see Dib with his head cocked to the side. He himself jumped in, crawling over to the driver's seat. In the rearview mirror, he saw Dib shrug and climb up next to him.

"So, where are we-" Just as Dib pulled the door closed, Danny pressed the gas, making them fly off faster than usual. "Wait-didn't Technus blow out the engine?"

"I'm a ghost. I can fly." Danny said shortly. There was a faint green glow surrounding the cockpit, barely noticeable, but Danny had learned levitation a few months ago and was using it now. "He didn't hit the main engine, but I'll be able to figure out how to fix it soon enough." Dib just nodded, settling back in his seat. His fingers started playing with the tears and holes in the fabric, especially the ones he'd made…

After a few minutes, they were there. Dib looked confused, but Danny grinned. His 'ghostly home' had become a regular stop on each visit into the ghost zone, and both Sam and Tucker had found it pretty cool. He slowly creaked open the door- black, with a white edge, and the 'DP' symbol he'd painted on, if somewhat messily- and gestured for Dib to jump in.

"What about the ship?"

"No one's going to touch it. Technus is down for the moment and it's filled with anti-ghost weapons. Plus…" Danny pointed to his ears. "It's loud." He grinned, before grabbing Dib's wrist and pulling the boy into the room. Dib slowly rotated his head, taking in the bed, the tile, and the lab table filled with all sorts of weapons. Danny had started posting newspaper articles praising Phantom (and one involving the 'million dollar bounty on his head' for the oddly fond memories it held) on the wall. The closet was closed, as he didn't want Dib to see his plush dolls quite yet. Danny flopped down on the bed, tapping the space next to him. Dib sat down, pawing at his pocket nervously. "So, what do you want to know?"

"Everything. From the beginning." Dib said, determined to get answers. Danny nodded, settling down and leaning his elbow on a pillow.

"We're going to be here for a while…" He chuckled before going all the way back to the day of the accident. "Well, my parents had always been ghost hunters and inventors, but I never really believed in them before they perfected their 'ghost portal'…" He made finger quotes. "At first, it didn't work and they got frustrated and left. That's when Sam convinced me to go in…"


Danny spilled nearly everything, from trying to gain control of his powers at the start to the unfortunate incident with Plasmius about a month ago. The two things he didn't bring up were the fact that Vlad was half-ghost as well (He only called any run-ins with him Plasmius and passed over his grudge with his dad and his crush on his mom. So, he left out what happened in Colorado with his mom) and his evil future self, which was one thing he really wanted to keep to himself. Dib listened intently, sometimes laughing but mostly staying serious. When Danny explained about Danielle, and her being a clone, Dib had seemed oddly fidgety, playing with his fingers and tapping his boots until Danny finished that story. The other boy took most of it in good humor, and he'd actually joked about meeting Desiree and wishing that his childhood hadn't stunk. Still, he stayed quiet for a while after that, seeming embarrassed that he'd admitted to it.

"Wow… I don't know what to say." Dib said when Danny finally finished. "That's… just… wow. I can't think of a single person who, when given powers like yours, would use them like you have. I mean, even I wouldn't! You're, like, a saint!" Danny chuckled.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that… I've done some pretty bad stuff."

"Yeah, but you put your life on the line every single day! I mean… I can relate with that, but-" He cut off again, his eyes distant. "I shouldn't have said that…" He muttered. Danny heaved a deep sigh.

Should I tell him that I know? It would make us even, but he might not trust me then! The halfa rolled around the options, before opening his mouth.

"Actually… I have to admit something."

"What?" Dib asked, his eyes falling back to Danny again.

"Promise me you won't freak out over this, okay?" Dib nodded slowly.

"Sure, what?" Danny cleared his throat and said fairly quickly,

"I was listening in on you and Jazz on Tuesday." Dib's eyes widened, and his already pale skin turned even whiter.

"…What?" He whispered. "…You were?" Danny nodded solemnly. Dib shifted a little away from him, his bony hands clawing the sheets.

"I had no idea… I wanted to know why you'd protected me from Dash…" Danny admitted, before slumping back on the bed frame. I knew it… he hates me now…

"You… won't tell anyone?" Dib was still whispering, like if he spoke any louder he'd break himself into tiny pieces. Danny shook his head.

"How can I? You know my secret…" He looked up to see a small sly smile slide across Dib's face. It seemed to light up his eyes, and they flickered nearly black in the light. His teeth were just barely showing, but it still gave off the impression that he was an animal that had cornered its prey.

"So I do…" Danny sat up, his elbows still pushed into the plush mattress.

"Uh, that's kind of creepy…" Dib shook his head quickly.

"Right, right. So… do we have a deal?" Danny blinked, confused.

"A deal? What deal?"

"I won't tell anyone if you won't." Danny grinned-this was better then he could've hoped for. Neither of them had to hide anything anymore, and Dib didn't hate him for knowing his secret. Dib gripped Dib's thin fingers in his sleek, glowing glove before shaking.

"Deal."


A/N There are a few things I need to say. One, I've been able to get a lead part in a play. Unfortunately, that means I won't have nearly as much time to write, as practices are three times a week for a few hours each, so the chapters might not be as consistant. I'll try to keep within a week and a half to two weeks, but I've had to break promises on this before. Rest assured that I will never, NEVER leave this story to die without having a very good reason for it. I know that I did leave Dib's Birthday, but was both when I was still trying to work with the system and, quite frankly, was running too long off of every random idea that came to mind and it showed. This is, for the record, probably my favorite story I've written ever and I know where it's going, okay? Okay. That being said, I'm sorry if I can't write fast enough. If it were up to me, I'd never leave my room, but there's that little pesky thing called school and basic human needs. *shrugs* Anyways, I hope you liked this, and please review!

Next chapter-You want to what?